1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to inkjet printers and more particularly to loading systems for enabling an inkjet printer to be utilized with the printing of short-run objects which may be unstable by themselves, and which printer will be operated more efficiently, and which application is based upon Provisional Patent Application No. 61/795,358 filed 15 Oct. 2012 and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In standard inkjet printer machines an elongated gantry is arranged transversely across a print table. The gantry may contain a computer-controlled printer head which slides on a set of rails along the longitudinal axis of the gantry. An operator lays a plurality of parts to be printed onto a rectilinear fixture or template which rests upon the “close” end of the table. That fixture or template is placed under the gantry and the printer head passes thereover to apply whatever print has been programmed therewith. Simultaneous loading of a template and the printing of an array of parts is inconsistent with the prior art. The fixtures or templates are arranged to hold whatever particular part to be printed under the printer head. Multiple fixtures however, are an expensive part to machine or mold to the particular often short-run peripheral configuration of the parts to be printed upon each time. Inkjet printers are often used to print promotional items which may have those limited runs due to possible “short-run” small amounts of promotional items required, for example, in the several hundreds, or even a thousand perhaps, the items being for instance, pens, souvenirs, lighters, mini-lights or the like, some of which are “unstable” if left to themselves on a table or printing surface, and would likely roll or fall over.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a part-loading assembly to permit a high-efficiency feeding of the ink jet printer.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an alignment arrangement for loading a variety of items to be printed, onto a conveyor belt, with minimal effort.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a system for sequentially printing batches of possibly unstable items, wherein multiple, expensive fixtures don't have to be made for particular short run objects to be printed.
It is still yet a further object of the present invention to enable an ink jet batch-type or other stationary-part screen type printer machine to simultaneously be printing a batch of typically small short-run parts or part, while the same machine operator readies/loads a successive batch or part ready for printing.